Ventilator for water closet



1955 c. J. MAJAusKAs VENTILATOR FOR WATER CLOSET 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fi ledDec. 21, 1953 INVENTOR' &arie; Jfi czww m ym z w ATTORNEYS.

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VENTILATOR FOR WATER CLOSET Filed Dec. 21, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V ENTOR.

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United States Patent O VENTILATOR FOR WATER CLOSET Charles J. Majauskas,Chicago, Ill.

Application December 21, 1953, Serial No. 399,309

4 Claims. (CI. 4-213) This invention relates to Ventilators for waterclosets and is an improvement on the apparatus disclosed in my PatentNo. 2,639,440, issued May 26, 1953.

My prior patent discloses a system for ventilating a water closet, thefunctioning of which is intiated when the seat ring is forced down andthe closet is put in use. Recognizing, however, that is is oftendesirable and convenient to also close the cover and use the closet bowlas a seat, my present invention provides a means for rendering theventilating system inoperative when both the seat ring and cover areforced down to the seat position.

The main objects of this invention, therefore, are to provide animproved ventilator for water closets, the iunctioning of which isinitiated at the time the closet is put in use and the functioning ofwhich is prevented when the cover is also lowered and the closet is usedas a seat, and to provide an improved attractive form of arrangement ofa seat mounting for housing the switches for controlling the operationof the ventilator.

In the particular embodiment of this invention, shown in theaccompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of this improved water closet ventilatorshown mounted on a wall adjacent and connected to a water closet bowland flush tank;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail of the safety valve fittingadapted for interposition in the flush water pipe and which prevents asurge of the fiushing water from reaching to the blower;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the valve member for the same removedfrom the fitting;

Fig. 4 is a section through the ventilator housing taken on the plane ofthe line 4-4 of Fig. l, showing in elevation the motor-driven blower andthe solenoid operated vent valve;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation of the same, taken on theline 5--S of Fg. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional elevation of the seat and coverhinge mountings, as viewed from the plane of the line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the seat and cover hinge mountngs;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevation of the same, taken on the line 8-8of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional deta l of the mountng postincluding the switchng mechanism of the present invention, as taken onthe plane of the line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

An improved water closet ventilator constructed in accordance with thisinvention comprises the ventilator unit 7, a safety valve fitting S, anda seat and cover controlled switch means 9, designed for attachment andoperation to effect the ventilation of a water closet bowl 10 to theconventional vent stack 11 at the time the closet is put into use.

The ventilator unit 7 comprises a housing 12 Wherein is mounted a blower13, driven by a motor 14, and a vent valve fitting 15, the valve 16 ofwhich is actuated by a solenoid 17.

r' A C@ The housing 12, as heren shown, is of rectangular form. Its opentop permits the insertion and appropriate location of the parts justdescribed. A hood 18 telescopes with the vertical walls of the main partof the housing 12 to form a closure for the open top thereof. Thehousing is provided with suitably placed apertures through whichfastening means may be inserted for attaching the unit to a wall 69.

The blower 13, preferably of the impeller type, is directly mounted onthe motor 14, which is supported on a base spaced above the bottom ofthe housing 12. The blower 13 has its exhaust 20 extending exteriorly ofthe housing 12 for connection with the vent stack 11.

The motor 14 is a conventonal, fractional, horsepower motor adapted forsmall units of this kind. It has associated therewith a condenser 21interposed between the wires 22 to a source of electrical power and thewires 23 to the switch mecham'sm 9. The wires 23 enter the housing 12through a section of Conduit Secured to the housing 12 by a fasteningmeans 23.1.

The vent valve fitting 15 is directly connected to the intake 24 of theblower 13 and has a nipple 25 extending exteriorly of the housing 12which is connected to the safety valve fitting 8 by a pipe 26. The valve16 is arranged for vertical movement in the fitting 15 so that gravitynormally urges the valve head 27 to rest on the seat 28 thereby closingcommunication between the bowl lt) and the vent stack 11 when the motor14 is idle.

The solenoid 17 is located in the housing 12 below the valve fitting 15,and is energized concurrently with the blower motor 14 to open valve 16.Its armature 29 is connected to a bell crank lever 30 pivoted at 31 andattached to a stern 32 of the valve 16.

The safety valve fitting 8 is of a Construction substantially such asshown in Patent No. 2,449,l34. This fitting is approximately T-shapedwith a main part 33 and a stem part 34. The main part 33 is threaded sothat it may be Conveniently inserted in the flush water pipe 35 whichleads from a source of Water to the flush water inlet 36 for the closetbowl 10. This source of flush water may be either a tank 37 such asshown in Figure l, or it may be a valve-controlled water pressuresource, such as is commonly used for water closets, particularly inlarge buildings and institutons.

The valve 33 comprises a disl'-shaped cap part 39 and a lever 40 Securedin axially spaced relationship on opposite sides of a hinge pin 41. Thehinge pin 41 mounts the valve 33 so that the cap part 39 is disposed toclose the end of the port 42 in the fitting stem port 34 and locates thelever 4@ in the main part 33. A suitable gasket 39.1 is secured to thecap 39 to seal the port 42. A weight 43 on the back of the cap part 39normally holds the valve 38 with the cap part 39 retracted from the port42, whereby communication is normally open from the closet bowl iiithrough the port 42, the connecting pipe 26 and the vent valve fitting15. The lever 40 is so shaped and dimensioned that when the closet isfiushed the surge of water through the fitting 33 will cause the lever40 to Shift the cap 39 to close the port 42, preventing any back-flow ofwater up through the pipe 26 into the fitting 15 from whence the watermight reach the mechanism in the housing 12. The stern part 34 of thefitting 8 has an inspection pot 44 in which is Secured a thread-ed plug45 (see Fig. 1).

The switch means 9 comprises a pair of posts 46 and 47, a pair of coverhinge brackets 71 and 72 telescoped over the shaft 49, and a pair ofseat hinge brackets 48 connected at the ends of a shaft 49, supported inbearings 50 ofiset from the respective posts 46 and 47.

The posts 46 and 47, are similar, except that one is right-hand and theother is left hand, as most clearly shown in Fig. 6. Each is providedwith a chambered to connect said sets of electrical contacts in seriesin said control circuit.

2. The combination of a water closet bowl having a seat and a cover, anelectrically operated ventilator, a control circuit for said ventilator,a pair of posts mounte'l on said bowl and having chambered hub partsotlset from channeled stems extending through a rim portion of saidbowl, plungers within said hubs having pins eX- tending downwardly belowsaid hubs, seat hinges pivotally Secured to said posts, tongues on saidhinges normally contacting the lower ends of said pins, springs disposedwithin said hubs and urging said pins downwardly to partially raise thebowl seat, and insulating block mountng a pair of spaced electricalcontacts and disposed within the upper part of the hub of one of saidposts, an insulaing member carried by said plunger in said one post andadapted to close said contacts when said seat is depressed against theaction of said springs, an insulating block mounting a pair of normallyclosed electrical contacts and disposed within the upper part of the hubof the said other post, said other post being formed with a cavity and avertical channel connecting said cavity and said upper part of the hubof said other post, a switch pin disposed in said channel and adapted tobe forced upwardly to open said normally closed contact, pin actuatingmeans adapted to be inserted in said cavity, means carried by one ofsaid cover hinges adapted to engage said actuating means and force saidswitch pin upwardly when said cover is depressed, and wires extendingthrough the channeled stems of said posts to connect said sets ofelectrical contacts in series in said control circuit.

3. The combination of a water closet bowl having a seat 'and a cover, anelectrically operated ventilator, a control circut for said ventilator,:a pair of posts mounted on said bowl and having chambered hub partsofset from channeled stems extending through a rim portion of said bowl,plungers within said hubs having pins extending downwardly below saidhubs, seat hinges pivotally secured to said posts, tongues on saidhinges normally contacting the lower ends of said pins, springs disposedwithin said hubs and urging said pins downwardly to partially raise thebowl seat, an insulating block mounting 'a pair of spaced electricalcontacts and disposed within the upper part of the hub of one of saidposts, an insulatng member carried by said plunger -n said one post andadapted to close said contacts when said seat is depressed against theaction of said springs, an insulating block mounting a pair of normallyclosed electrical contacts and disposed within the upper part of the hubof the said other post, said other post being formed With a cavity and avertical channel connecting said cavity and said upper part of the hubof said other post, switch actuatjng means disposed in said channel and'adapted to open said normally closed contact, first means mounted insaid cavity and adapted to control said switch actuating means, secondmeans carried by one of said cover hinges 'adapted to engage said firstmeans to cause said switch actnating means to open said normally closedcontact When said cover is depressed, and wires extending through thechanneled stems of said posts to connectsaid sets of electrical contactsin series in said control circuit.

4. The combination of a water closet bowl having a seat and a cover, anelectrically operated ventlator, a control circuit for said ventil'ator,a pair of posts mounted on said bowl and having chambered hub partsofiset from channeled stems extending through a rim portion of saidbowl, seat and cover hinges pivotally Secured to said posts, a normallyopen switch in said circuit, said switch being mounted in one of saidchambered posts and being adapted to close said circuit and actuate saidventilator when said seat is lowered, an insulatng block mounting a pairof normally closed electrical contacts and disposed within the upperpart of the hub of the said other post, said other post being formedwith a cavity and a verticml channel connecting said cavity and saidupper part of the hub of said other post, a switch pin -disposed in saidchannel and adapted to be forced upwardly to open said normally closedcontact, a plug 'adapted to be inserted in said cavity, said plug havinga central bore extending from the said cavity to a pocket formedadjacent the outer end of said plug, a camming bar adapted to seat insaid pocket and extencling into said cavity to engage said switch pin,means carried by one of said cover hinges for causing said cammjng barto pivot about said pocket 'and force said switch pin upwardly when saidcover is depressed, and Wires extending through the channeled stems ofsaid posts to connect said sets of electrical contacts in series in saidcontrol circuit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,32G,O Briscoe et al. May 25, 1943 2,610,328 Miller Sept. 16, 19522,639,440 Majauskas May 26, 1953

